Starbucks brews buzz for mobile pay with 'Merry Coffee' holiday cups

Short video spots and digital display banners encourage customers to place orders through the chain's app.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 11, 2019

Subway enforcing 20-year lease agreements to stem store closures, NY Post reports

Franchisees told the publication those who don't renew their five-year leases must complete a corporate questionnaire to try and find replacement operators.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 11, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

Menu development

Restaurants big and small are experimenting with their menus to align with the preferences of on-the-go diners and mitigate the impact of rising food costs, supply chain disruption and shrinking consumer discretionary funds. 

By Restaurant Dive staff

TGI Fridays will no longer go public in wake of coronavirus

The restaurant's planned $380 million sale to Allegro Merger Corp. was called off last week due to "extraordinary market conditions and the failure to meet necessary closing conditions," according to a regulatory filing. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 8, 2019

Buffalo Wild Wings to conduct sensitivity training following alleged racist incident

The company's response appears to borrow from the playbook of employers that have faced similar incidents, like Starbucks.

By Ryan Golden • Nov. 8, 2019

Reduce restaurant theft with better onboarding and reporting practices

Businesses need to review training materials and offer a clear way to address issues swiftly to prevent serial theft, says Ethics Suite president and co-founder Juliette Gust. 

By Juliette Gust • Nov. 8, 2019

Popeyes traffic rose 299% during its chicken sandwich relaunch

The spike on Nov. 3 surpassed the initial rollout's traffic peak of 256%, and had a halo effect for KFC, which saw 29% gains on the same day, per Placer.ai data. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 8, 2019

Shift Change: McDonald's CEO, chief people officer out; Papa John's restructures senior management

This week's Shift Change also has executive news from Ike's Love & Sandwiches and Guy Fieri's new Chicken Guy concept. 

By Julie Littman • Nov. 8, 2019

McDonald's invests in solar, wind projects

The QSR joins Starbucks as one of the only restaurant brands investing in renewable energy projects as part of long-standing sustainability initiatives. 

By Lauren Manning , Julie Littman • Nov. 8, 2019

Papa John's CFO to step down in 2020

Joe Smith has been at Papa John's for nearly 20 years, and has been CFO since 2017. He will stay in the role until the company finds a replacement.

By Jane Thier • Nov. 7, 2019

Chili's dishes out custom merch to showcase free delivery promotion

Rewards members could win a #ChilisMyHouse starter pack that includes a custom doormat, baby back ribs-scented candle and more.

By Barry Levine • Nov. 7, 2019

Papa John's replaces recently appointed CMO amid restructuring

CEO Rob Lynch said during a conference call this week that a marketing campaign featuring Shaquille O'Neal is helping the brand repair its image.

By Barry Levine • Nov. 7, 2019

Wendy's offers franchisees chance to opt-out of breakfast

As the fast food chain prepares for its 2020 breakfast launch, it is considering a fail-safe in case operators find the daypart unprofitable after a year.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 7, 2019

Subway pilots employee career development program

The partnership with Penn Foster will offer 331 employees in Central Florida an online career readiness boot camp and high school program, part of an ongoing QSR trend to offer educational perks for employees. 

By Lauren Manning • Nov. 7, 2019

Chipotle expands employee benefits to focus on mental well-being

The chain's employees and family now have access to personalized assistance from healthcare experts and financial counseling even if they're not enrolled in the company's medical plan. 

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 6, 2019

A chaotic wait for the Popeyes sandwich spotlights Chick-fil-A's operational edge

Restaurant Dive stood in line and found that while Popeyes' sandwich may win the taste battle, its store experience could lose it the chicken sandwich wars.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 6, 2019

Bloomin' Brands explores sale, other strategic alternatives

Though it didn't provide a timeline for the review, CEO David Deno told investors that everything is on the table. 

By Julie Littman • Nov. 6, 2019

White Starbucks manager fired after Philly incident alleges race bias

The suit follows one of the most significant case studies of corporate social responsibility and HR management in recent history.

By Ryan Golden • Nov. 5, 2019

Burger King boosts 'Call of Duty' Twitch event with Grubhub delivery

Inspired by the Burger Town restaurant that appears in the hit video game, the burger chain offered free delivery from GrubHub.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 5, 2019

McDonald's chief people officer leaves company

David Fairhurst, who has been with the chain for 15 years, left on Monday. The company didn't disclose the nature of his departure, which comes on the heels of former CEO Steve Easterbrook's firing.

By Julie Littman • Nov. 4, 2019

McDonald's fires CEO Steve Easterbrook

Easterbrook's departure comes as the QSR giant struggles to meet investor expectations and drive robust same-store sales growth in the U.S.

By Julie Littman • Nov. 3, 2019

Chick-fil-A gaffe gives Popeyes easy marketing fodder amid chicken sandwich's return

A botched email communication around a Sunday holiday — when Chick-fil-A is closed — led to snarky social posts by Popeyes.

By Peter Adams • Nov. 1, 2019

McDonald's doubles down on chicken for breakfast

The QSR giant will offer Chicken McGriddles and McChicken Biscuit sandwiches during breakfast for a limited time, pitting it against Chick-fil-A's offerings.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Jan. 28, 2020

Starbucks' AI project is turning past investments into data insights

"Deep Brew," an AI project launched in 2017, is a machine learning capability Starbucks is leveraging for personalization.

By Samantha Schwartz • Nov. 1, 2019

Grubhub revisits non-partnered listings as rivals erode its market share

More restaurants could find themselves offering delivery whether they want to or not with Grubhub's latest strategy to grow listings, a move analysts say was forced by DoorDash's dominance. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 31, 2019

OpenTable looks to improve table turnover time with new features

A tool to pre-determine how many times a table will turn over and flow controls to keep the kitchen on pace are the platform's latest assets for restaurants.

By Lauren Manning • Oct. 31, 2019